Katakuri seems distant during the walk back home from the city. He's too quiet with no snarky comebacks. He doesn't even complain about having to hold a giant unicorn donut (with one bite taken out of it) the entire way. You hate that he's feeling like this and wish you could cheer him up but you don't know how. "Which of your family members am I stronger then?" You ask him. "None of them," he tells you. "That's not fair! Aren't some of them like 8 or 9 years old? How old is Anana?" You ask. "There's no way you could take on Anana, she's malicious. And she's 8," he says, "maybe if I teach you how to hold a gun and shoot, you can beat Pudding if she doesn't use her Devil Fruit Powers. But my family's on a whole different level then you are." You cross your arms, "You mean I don't have what it takes to be a Big Mom Pirate? I have Devil Fruit Powers too!" He shakes his head, "you lack the training, discipline and the lust for blood." You scoff, "your family is not ALL like that!" He smirks, "we are, every last one of us. We're born to kill." Well.. that's.. Unsettling, you think.
"Oh perfect timing!" You beam, seeing Katakuri's house in the distance, "now that we're back at your house, I can sleep soundly knowing I'm in a land filled with blood thirsty killers that I'm helpless against!" He opens the door for you, and this time you walk in, ready for the day to end. "I told you I'd train you," he says. "When do you train again?" You ask. "Tomorrow, I train everyday, assuming I'm not babysitting a flighty little gumdrop," he winks at you. "I'm NOT a gumdrop! You're the gumdrop.." you mumbled. "I'm not a gumdrop, But I'd happily be your throat lozenge," he winks. You gasp, "Katakuri! You pervert! And that's probably good that you're going back to training everyday. You were starting to look a little skinny..." You pout and poke at his tummy teasing him. "I'm sorry it's so difficult for you to look at me like this," he growls, grabbing your neck and backing you against the wall. You moan. This feels familiar. You arch your back and wet your lips, remembering the first time you met in the halls of Whole Cake Chateau.
"Oh yes," you agree, "it's REALLY hard for me to see like this." You say sarcastically as you run your hands up his stomach just to moan over how tight and perfect he felt under your fingers. "That's what I thought," he said and he releases your neck, "I think you'd like training with me. I'll even teach you how to properly scale a building." You make a face at him. He walks to the staircase and points to it, "after you." You love the way Katakuri watches you as you walk towards him. Likes he wants to devour you! You walk up the stairs and he follows a good few steps behind. You pause and look back, "did you just let me go first so you can watch my bum as I climb up the stairs?!" The twinkle in his eye says it all. "You pervert!" You pout. You continue to walk up the stairs with a bit more wiggle in your step and you pretend to "drop something" twice.
You open the door in the hall that you know to be yours. Katakuri drops the giant donut unicorn on the floor in your room. You gasp, "be careful with her!!! She's a sickly old girl who needs important life-saving surgery but can't afford her medical bills!" Katakuri grabs the doorframe and leans in, "seriously? You made up a dramatic sob story for your pastry pet?" You cross your arms and stick out your tongue. "Put that tongue back in your mouth if you don't plan on using it," he warns you. You suck your tongue back into your mouth and blush. "That's what I thought," he says. You wondered what would have happened if you hadn't.
"Do you train with your siblings?" You ask, not wanting to make a fool of yourself in front of his whole family. "Depends on what they got me for my birthday," he jokes. "When's your birthday?" You ask. "Don't worry, I'll tell you with plenty of time in advance so you can't surprise me," he mocks you. You blush, "No really! I mean it! You have so many siblings everyday it must be someone's birthday here! How do you keep up?" He swallows and leans against the wall in your room, right next to your unicorn, realizing you won't be letting him go to bed anytime soon. "November 25th. A lot of us were born on the same day. February, October and December are busy months for Birthdays," he likes that you're still showing interest in his family despite what happened with Smoothie and Amande. "Like twins? I'm not sure I could handle one baby let alone two at a time. Especially if they end up having wings. How am I supposed to catch them if I can't fly too?" You start worrying. You'd never thought about having a family, not seriously. Sure it would have been nice but now there's too many factors involved. You could walk up to the baby's crib and find the baby on the ceiling! Or worse.. Out the window!
Katakuri sighs, "How about we stop worrying over things we can't control?" He suggests. Sure.. sounds easy enough. "Okay, sure, great.. Let's just do that," you mumble. He smirks, "I share a birthday with my brothers, Daifuku and Oven," he says, trying to change the subject back. Oven.. you wondered if anything 'Cherri' aka Amande said about Oven was true or if it was all a lie. You thought about asking Katakuri, but maybe another time. "Do you like being a triplet?" You ask, happy to entertain a more lighthearted conversation. "I like it alot more now than I did as a kid. We only really get together for parties and piracy," he tells you. "AH, yes, the two P's, Super important work," you say sarcastically. "Well, if you're just going to poke fun at my answers, I think I'll bid you goodnight," he says, pushing off the wall.
"Now you say, 'don't leave'," he tells you. "Well that's precocious!" You say. "Okay I'll leave," he turns around to walk down the hall to his room. "Wait! Don't leave!" You beg him. He smiles. "Please stay. Please. It's just.. after everything that happened. I feel safer with you here," you tell him. The truth was, you weren't sure if you'd ever feel safe without him again. "I'll be in the next room over, unlike you I'm a light sleeper," he chuckles. You blush, "I am NOT a heavy sleeper! I thought maybe tomorrow you can sleep in your room but tonight you'd sleep in mine," you grin like you have it all figured out. "If that's what you want," he says and he walks into your room, right past you, sits in the chair next to your bed and closes his eyes.
"What ARE you doing?" You ask, bothered that he'd think he'd have to sleep in a chair. "Sleeping," he says. "You can sleep with me. I mean... not WITH me. But next to me. We can sleep in the same bed together, is what I mean," you bite your lip, jump on top of your bed and pull the covers off the other side of the bed, patting the pillow in a welcoming manner. "I won't bite," you tease. That joke's in poor taste, Katakuri thinks, if only you knew why. "Please," you add, "I'll feel much better if you're comfortable and I'm not putting you out so much." He stands up and you watch him walk around the bed. He sits on the edge of the bed and kicks off his shoes, you listen as they fall to the floor with a musical clink. Then he sits up in the bed, crosses his arms and closes his eyes.
Your brow furrows. You thought after all you've been through together he'd feel more comfortable around you. You certainly feel more comfortable around him. Comfortable enough to not care if he sees you naked and to sleep next to him. "Shouldn't you take off your vest?" You ask. He opens one eye, "Why?" What does he mean, why?? Do you really have to teach him how to sleep? You thought that'd be obvious. "For sleeping, of course!" You tell him. Katakuri sighs, "And now you say, 'and your belt too'." You nod, "Well yes? That does sound right. I would never sleep in a belt." He leans forward and pulls off his vest and he throws it onto the chair, enjoying the look on your face as you watch. You'd never watched a man undress before.. You had read about it in some incredibly naughty books you'd stolen from the queen's bedchamber while sneaking around the castle. But you'd never had the pleasure of watching someone undress just for you. You'd wished you'd thought to bring those dirty books with you.. You'd love to reread a few of them and picture Katakuri in them.. He leans back in the bed and unbuckles his belt, his hips buck up a little as he pulls it from his pants.
Next time, you imagine you'd be the one to take off his belt for him. The thought makes you blush. "And everything else too," you say, crawling closer to him in the bed and helping him remove his knee pads. "What are you doing?" He groans. "Helping," you tell him. You hand his right knee pad to him. "You're helping me get undressed?" He asks. "Should I not? Should I just watch?" You shrug. "No, you can help, if you want," he smirks. You help him until he's wearing only his leather pants and that scarf, which you're sure he'd never remove. He still doesn't seem comfortable to you. You can't help but look between him and his leather pants.
"What? I shouldn't wear pants either?" He says. "No. Well I mean... not leather pants. Who wears leather pants when they sleep?" You say. "Me," he scoffs. "You do not! Go put on pajamas. No! Wait, don't leave me alone," you say shyly. "I can't do both," he says. "Well.. don't you have underwear on underneath? Just wear that and I'll cover you with the blanket." Katakuri shakes his head, "That won't work." You smile, "Sure it will!" He chuckles, "It would... if I were wearing underwear." You blush, "Oh. You're not.. oh.." Why was it so hot all of a sudden?
"Okay, maybe you CAN sleep in leather pants afterall," you say. "Okay," he says and he closes his eyes. "You can lay down and take up as much of the bed as you want. I don't take up much space," you offer. "I don't lay down," he says decisively. He's the tallest man you've ever met but you're sure he'd fit. You put your feet to the head board and stretch out towards the foot of the bed. "What are you doing?" He asks. "Measuring," you lick your lips, then you sit up and see your head was at about... the middle of the bed, "if you lay down I bet you'll fit!" He shrugs, " It doesn't matter, I sleep sitting up." You gasp, "you do NOT!" He nods, "I do, I don't lay down."
You grin, "you're SOO funny. But really... lay down." Why is he acting so weird? His eyes narrow at you. "Oh," you exclaim, "you're being serious... Do you lay down in the tub?" You ask. "No," he says, annoyed. "What if you slip and fall on your back?" You ask. "I don't," he says. "Oh! I get it, you sleep on your stomach!" You grin. "No. And before you ask no, not on my side," he says. "Why? You don't like being comfy?" You say. "No, I like being prepared,'' he says. "Are you afraid of laying down? Because if you are, I'll hold your hand the whole time," you grin. "You're making fun of me," he grumbles. "Yes. Yes I am," you snicker. "I have half a mind to leave you..." he threatens.
"No! Don't do that! Besides, I'm going to be your wife! And you won't sleep with me! You have to admit, that's pretty funny!" You can't stop laughing. Saying that must have changed his mind, because he slid down the bed and onto the pillow. You smile, lay down next to him, and take his hand. "Don't worry, it will be okay," you say, squeezing his hand. He rolls his eyes. "Katakuri, thank you for staying," you say sweetly. "You're welcome," he sighs. You kiss him on the arm and close your eyes. You'd never had a sleepover before.